


Meet Again

by forgetmequite



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, M/M, superhero!Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 20:36:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16145036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forgetmequite/pseuds/forgetmequite
Summary: New York's very own superhero, the Shadowhunter, saves the cat of the gorgeous man that just happens to be Alec Lightwood's coffee shop crush.





	Meet Again

Alec looked up at the cat and suppressed a sigh. He didn’t know much about cats, but he’d take a chance and assume that anyone who owned a cat currently balancing on a very narrow pole rather high from the ground would prefer that a stranger fetch it down than just continue walking.

Of course, most strangers would have no way of fetching the cat down save from making those weird cat noises Alec had never understood and hoping for the best.

For his part, Alec could jump.

He and Izzy had been able to do this, ever since they could remember. Focus on the spring in their step and jump thirty feet high. Focus on the movement of their legs and run a mile a minute. Focus on everything but themselves and just disappear from the view. And so on. Turning those skills into doing good instead of just using them for experiments to let Izzy practice the scientific method was a more recent development, but they’d already got a nickname from the press, so they were pretty much official.

His hands got a grip on the pole, and he could use it to wrestle himself on top of it. There he sat, just a few feet from the cat, looking it in the eyes and hoping to get some inspiration about how to get it to come just a little bit closer so that he could grab it and get back down.

Anyone who thought a life as a superhero was glamorous was welcome to follow him around and reconsider.

The cat took a few measured steps towards him and looked like it was sussing him out. Evidently, it came to a conclusion, took a few more steps and plopped right into Alec’s lap.

“Does this mean you like me?” Alec asked it, but thought it better to not wait for an answer but instead jump back down.

Once he had two feet on the ground again, he finally thought it safe enough to remove one of the hands that had been clutching the cat to his chest and stroke the cat’s fur a little.

“I bet you’re a menace,” he said, “but I like you, too.”

“I rather fancy I’ve had a dream just like this.”

Alec spun around to face the voice. He’d been too focused on the cat to notice the man leaning against the wall watching them.

And not just any man. Broad shoulders, carefully coiffed hair and eyes that made Alec’s kneecaps melt. The most handsome man Alec had ever seen.

Even better, Alec knew him.

“A very, very pleasant dream,” the man added and took a few steps closer. “Hello, stranger.”

Well, Alec knew of him, to be more exact.

“Hi,” he said, swallowing down the nerves. He was wearing a mask, there was no way Hot Coffee Shop Guy would recognise him. “This your cat?”

Alec did not particularly like the taste of coffee, but sometimes you just needed a cupful of something terrible to wake you up in the morning. And while he was there, it would be a waste of time not to appreciate a fellow patron who clearly had put a lot of thought into his appearance, wouldn’t it? If Alec had been nursing a crush as well as a cup of coffee in the corner table for a few months now, that was no one’s business but his own.

On the upside, Hot Coffee Shop Guy did not know Alec, so that lowered further the odds of him making the connection between the Shadowhunter and Alexander Lightwood, a very regular office worker who liked worn paperbacks and had a standing Friday night movie date with his sister. They wouldn’t have been good odds to begin with.

“It is,” Hot Coffee Shop Guy said, and made a very adorable cooing noise at the cat. “Hello, you little miscreant.”

The cat jumped from Alec’s arms and into the ground, soon winding itself around Hot Coffee Shop Guy’s legs. Hot Coffee Shop Guy gave it another affectionate look and then turned to Alec, who felt his cheeks flaming red under his mask.

“I didn’t quite get to see what mischief he was getting into before you rescued him, but thank you.” His eyes sparkled softly as he looked at Alec. Or maybe Alec just imagined that. “It is the Shadowhunter, isn’t it?”

“One of them,” Alec said, grumpier than he wanted to be. Izzy mostly found it funny that the press hadn’t yet picked up on her as a separate entity from him, but Alec had never liked seeing her achievements go unnoticed. “No need to thank me, though.”

Hot Coffee Shop Guy smiled at him. “Well then. You were right, by the way.”

“About what?”

Hot Coffee Shop Guy glanced down at the cat. “He likes you. I can see why.”

Alec swallowed, and blinked, and then he was running. In a few minutes, he was already at home.

Thank god for enhanced speed.

\---

In hindsight, the encounter was a little embarrassing (Alec probably could have handled it better; he could never tell Izzy, she would laugh herself to death), but somehow, even acknowledging that, Alec found himself smiling when he thought back to it.

Hot Coffee Shop Guy had noticed him. And he’d clearly liked what he saw.

Obviously, he’d seen the Shadowhunter, not Alec, but still. Alec could still feel the weight of that warm gaze focused on him, and his insides felt like pleasant mush just thinking about it.

Maybe his brain was feeling mushy as well. That was the only explanation he could think of for what happened the following morning.

He got his coffee, as usual, and checked that his regular table was free, also taking the chance to steal a glance at Hot Coffee Shop Guy, who was stirring his own drink on the other side of the shop. Alec sighed and walked, not to his usual spot, but to the empty barstool next to the one Hot Coffee Shop Guy was currently occupying.

“E-excuse me, is this seat taken?”

Hot Coffee Shop Guy looked up, and Alec would have sworn he saw a spark of recognition if it wasn’t impossible.

“It’s not, please sit down,” Hot Coffee Shop Guy said, and Alec obeyed before that melodious voice would cause his brain functions to shut down completely. “I’d love the company.”

He took a sip of his coffee and grimaced.

“You’re not coming here for the coffee, are you?” Hot Coffee Shop Guy laughed, and Alec instantly wished he’d do it again. It was a lovely sound. “I’ve seen you around, but that’s not the face of someone who’s enjoying his drink.”

“I need it to wake up,” Alec managed to say, and nodded towards the travel mug in Hot Coffee Shop Guy’s hands before he could somehow embarrass himself. “And you?”

“Tea,” Hot Coffee Shop Guy said, raising the mug slightly. “Oh, but excuse my manners, we haven’t even yet been introduced and I’m giving you the third degree about your diet. I’m Magnus.”

Magnus. It suited him. A man like that deserved a magnificent name.

Alec was very relieved to verify he hadn’t said that out loud. Magnus was watching him expectantly, and only then did Alec realise that he was also expected to contribute.

“Alec.”

Magnus offered him his hand to shake, and Alec almost forgot all his father’s long-ago training about a proper handshake and lingered. It wasn’t his fault Magnus had a very nice hand. And his father had always been terrible with advice, as well as with other things.

In any case, Magnus looked absolutely delighted. “And what are you trying to wake up for this fine morning, Alec?”

Alec was lucky he remembered to swallow the coffee in his mouth before answering. “Work. And probably looking over some paperwork for my mother.”

“A dutiful son, I see.”

Magnus’s eyes were warm and a little sparkly, and somehow made Alec (Alec!) feel like he was an interesting person who had worthwhile things to say.

So, really, it was no wonder that he found himself rambling.

“She just wants second eyes on it, and she’s been really busy since she divorced our father and was left to deal with every single thing he could weasel his way out of, so I wanted to pitch in. Help where I can.”

“That is very noble of you, Alec.” It sounded genuine, even though logically it probably shouldn’t have been. “I’m sorry to hear about your parents’ divorce.”

“She did the right thing,” Alec said. He had very strong convictions about this, although he probably shouldn’t have been dumping all this personal family history on Magnus upon their first proper meeting. “He cheated on her, you know. I was glad when she told us she was leaving him.”

Magnus glanced down. “I’m sorry she had to go through that sorrow.”

People didn’t usually peg Alec as the observant type with the people-reading skills, but he’d bet his arm Magnus had personal experience with something like that. The last thing he wanted was to cause Magnus pain.

“Enough about me,” he said. “What brings you here this morning?”

He could visibly see Magnus cheer up his appearance. It only increased the allure of the man.

And, no denying it, when Magnus smiled at him, Alec felt like he’d been blessed by the gods and offered a blanket and a mug of hot chocolate that warmed him to his very toes.

“The owner of the place is an old friend.” Magnus nodded towards the counter where Maia was fixing up yet another order. Alec liked her. Somehow, it was easy to see her as Magnus’s friend. “And their special blend is to die for.”

“I have to remember the next time I’m choosing a drink.”

The mug didn’t quite manage to hide the way Magnus smiled around his mouthful of tea. “I’d certainly love to hear what you think about it, if we were to have another of these morning chats.”

Alec was either too overcome by the thought that he was able to make Magnus smile, or then his usual bluntness just surfaced again, but either way, he was happy the words stumbled out.

“Or then you could give me your number and we could have them whenever.”

Magnus shifted, just a little, and Alec might have worried that he’d overstepped if it wasn’t for the warmth radiating from Magnus’s eyes and the look that made Alec consider the ridiculous thought that maybe Magnus hadn’t been sure if _Alec_ would like to see him again.

“Excellent idea, Alec,” was what Magnus eventually said, and they swapped phones to program in their numbers.

Alec tried not to be too obvious about his delight as he got his back and took in Magnus’s contact details (Magnus Bane; the name fit the man so well, and Alec was not going to do anything like immediately google Magnus so he had no use for his family name, but now he had it and made something warm in his heart), but Magnus let out a delighted sound as soon as Alec handed the phone back.

“ _Alexander_ Gideon Lightwood.”

Alec felt his cheeks heat up. His name rolled beautifully off Magnus’s tongue, somehow not a scold but a caress.

“Everyone calls me Alec,” he said.

Magnus pocketed his phone. “There’s a wonderful way to separate myself from the masses.”

They finished their drinks far too quickly for Alec’s tastes, and not even the way Magnus shrugging on his coat made Alec’s mouth dry up made up for how soon they were outside the coffee shop, headed for different directions.

“It was great meeting you,” Alec said to delay the inevitable.

“Likewise.” Magnus smiled, and Alec’s breath caught for a second. “Until we meet again, Alexander.”

\---

“No way!” Izzy snapped her whip almost without looking, but it still caught the man she’d been aiming at. Of course it did. She was an expert at wielding her weapon. “I’m so proud of you!”

Alec probably should have been offended at the strong reaction, as if Izzy had thought he would never be capable of doing something so simple as striking up a conversation with a guy he’d admitted to liking. He didn’t have the time for that, though; he was too busy knocking another would-be bank robber over the head with his bow.

Besides, he liked to keep his dating chats with his sister as PG-13 as he could, and so Izzy’s vantage point on his love life was mostly memories about how Alec hadn’t dared to date anyone as a teenager and knowing that even as an adult, Alec had never dated seriously enough to have his boyfriend meet her. It made sense she was excited.

Her timing could just have been better. Not that the multitasking wasn’t impressive.

“That sounds like you’re mocking me.”

He didn’t hear the beginning of Izzy’s sentence because the chair she hurled at another robber made a loud crash as it and the robber crashed into a wall.

“- not _mocking_ you, and you know it, I’m just so proud you took that chance. What’s he like?”

Alec felt like he could sing Magnus’s praises in his sleep. It turned out, however, that thinking about Magnus took up too much of his brain to talk and fight at the same time, so that created a lull in the conversation.

“He’s magical,” he said eventually, when all the robbers were subdued and a bank clerk had definitely secretly called the police. “I mean-“

In the distance, the sirens were ringing already, so Alec had to stop. Izzy was sprinting for the door already, but he turned around, looked at the clerk and tried to sound authoritative.

“There were two of us,” he said. “Tell the incompetent reporters that. The woman with the whip, she’s brilliant.”

He thought that would be the end of that conversation, but perhaps he should have known better.

“Tell me more about your date,” Izzy said as Alec brought her a mug of hot chocolate, settling down next to her on the sofa. The remote she should have been using to select something to watch for them on the TV lay forgotten by the sofa; Alec had almost stepped on it.

“It wasn’t a date.”

“But you’re hoping it’ll lead to one.” Izzy smiled and took a sip of her hot chocolate. “You’re really obvious about it when you like someone, did you know that?”

Alec gave her his most stone-faced look. Yes, he did know that. “Are you done?”

“Not until you’re done telling me what he’s like. The police interrupted us, earlier.”

Alec made a show of resistance, but they both knew it was no more than a show. They were close; he _liked_ telling Izzy things.

“He’s the most handsome man I’ve ever met and his eyes make me feel things and I might have accidentally thought which way we’d hyphenate our last names.”

Izzy let out a sigh, but he didn’t need the smile on her face to know that it wasn’t actually a reprimand. She draped her arm around his shoulders and rested her head against him. It felt nice. Comforting.

“Oh, Alec.”

Yeah, Alec thought. Oh, Alec indeed. He didn’t fall often, but when he did, he fell hard and fast. All he could do was hope that he wouldn’t have to rely on his flight abilities to avoid getting crushed.

\---

Alec was focusing very hard on his work and most certainly not glancing at his phone. He was in the office late, so it would probably have been the perfect time to call someone whose schedule you didn’t know, not so early that you’d interrupt their work but not so late that you might risk waking them up just as they’d gone to bed.

Which was why Alec was focusing very hard on his work and definitely not weighing the pros of calling Magnus against the cons of calling him.

Pros: he’d get to hear Magnus’s voice, he’d get to suggest that they meet again, if all went well they _would_ meet again and it might very well be the best night of Alec’s life.

Cons: it could go wrong in a myriad of ways (Alec had thought of at least 37 while he had been at work), and that would make it the worst night of Alec’s life.

He would call eventually, of course. The potential rewards far outweighed the risks. It was just a question of whether he’d do it now or a bit later.

As if it was fed up with Alec’s indecisive glancing, his phone rang.

Alec startled, almost fell from his chair and hit his knee on the edge of a filing cabinet, but he answered the phone on reflex.

“Alec Lightwood.”

“Alexander? Wonderful. It’s Magnus Bane. You know, from the café?”

Alec’s brain suddenly felt like semi-solid goo that was steadily leaking out of his head. Considering that, he was really proud of himself for piecing together an answer at all.

“Yes, I know.” He realised too late that he sounded annoyed, like he wasn’t really happy that Magnus had called. The thought was sobering enough to give him some more of his brain functions back. “I was just about to call you.”

“Great.” Alec could hear that Magnus was smiling. “I was wondering if you’d be free tomorrow night. Now that we’ve had coffee together, dinner seems like the logical next step.”

“Yes.” It took Alec a few seconds to realise that was not a complete response except inside his head, where his instant reaction to anything related to Magnus was just a bright and loud yes. “I’m free. To- to meet up. For dinner. Um, did you have a restaurant in mind?”

“Several. Do you like Ethiopian?”

Alec had never tried. He usually stuck to the take-away downstairs, unless Izzy dragged him somewhere. “I’m sure I will.”

He barely managed not to say out loud that with Magnus on the other side of the table, Alec was unlikely to notice if he was eating shoestrings.

\---

Ethiopian food was nothing like shoestrings. It was rich and delicious and something Alec would definitely add to his take-away repertoire.

But still, sometimes Alec barely noticed what he was eating. Having Magnus Bane’s knee bump against yours under the table and Magnus Bane’s smile aimed at you and Magnus Bane’s voice in your ears did that. Very easily.

“And that is why I’m persona non grata in Peru.”

Alec smiled at him. “I’m not sure I believe a word of that story.”

He could say that, because having dinner with Magnus didn’t feel uncomfortable like a lot of his first dates had. It had the ease that Alec had come to assume would only come later in a relationship. Being with Magnus simply was as easy as breathing.

The sparkle in Magnus’s eye was either a teasing glint or a reflection of light. Alec didn’t care; either way, Magnus had the loveliest eyes he’d ever looked into.

“You’re a demanding audience, Alexander.”

“You seem like someone who likes a challenge.”

“It takes one to know one.” Magnus smiled at him, and the calculating edge to it made him even more attractive. “How about a little game? Two truths and a lie.”

Alec leaned in. If the table hadn’t been on the way, he might have continued until his lips reached Magnus’s. “What are the stakes?”

“I lose, dinner’s on me. You lose, the next dinner is on you.”

Alec wanted to kiss him so badly. He’d blame the slow way his brain took in Magnus’s flirtation to that. He should have said something flirty back, and he really wanted to, but-

“That’s a biased game. Only you know the lie for sure. How do I know you’re not lying about which one it is?”

Magnus laughed. “If I lie to your benefit, you hardly have anything to complain about. As for the opposite... Are you saying another dinner would not be a pleasant outcome for the both of us, in any case?”

Alec blinked. Of course not, at this point he’d pretty much give his left arm to have dinner with Magnus again. He just wasn’t used to this, this easy bond between them. Being wanted had never felt so good.

Something shifted in Magnus’s expression, as if his question had not been merely rhetorical. Once again, it felt bizarre that the suave and confident Magnus Bane would feel insecurity over whether Alec, of all people, would want to go out with him again, but Alec had pretty good instincts.

And this time, they worked to unlock his tongue in record speed.

“Smooth,” he said, giving Magnus the bright grin of realisation just a few seconds too late. It seemed to do its job anyway. “You’re a worthy adversary, Mr Bane.”

Magnus tilted his head slightly as if in agreement, any hint of insecurity washed away. “Let the game begin, Mr Lightwood.”

\---

“You cheated.”

It was not the first time Alec said something like that. He would have made himself stop (he had to sound like a sore loser and a petulant child), except for some reason Magnus seemed to enjoy and downright encourage this overly competitive side of him.

In the glow of the streetlights, Magnus looked otherworldly, like a cocky, lovable demigod come to visit the earth.

“You knew what you were in for before you accepted the terms.”

“That’s true.” Alec matched Magnus’s expression. “Next time, we’re switching roles.”

“Gladly.” Magnus’s hand brushed against Alec’s. “Although I have to say, Alexander, you do not strike me as an expert liar.”

“You think so?”

“Certainly. Much too forthright and honourable.”

Alec felt his cheeks flush.

“They’re very attractive qualities, trust me.” Magnus looked thoughtful, as if he wasn’t sure himself where he was going with this. It was a far cry from his usual confidence. Somehow Alec couldn’t help feeling grateful he was allowed to witness this crack in Magnus’s defences. “At the café, when you told me about your parents- Oh, no, I didn’t mind,” he had to have noticed Alec’s awkward expression, “the way you spoke was utterly charming. I- There hasn’t been much loyalty like that in my dating life.”

Alec took Magnus’s hand, because there was nothing else he could think of, hiding it between his own.

“Then you must be into fools.”

That would make sense; Alec certainly felt like an eager fool wherever Magnus was concerned.

Magnus let out a helpless laugh. “You shouldn’t set yourself on fire to make other people warmer like that, Alexander.”

Alec held his ground, refusing to lighten the mood. He was sure he was being too quick and intense for a first date, but Magnus was far too precious to be allowed to think he didn’t deserve the staunchest of loyalties.

Magnus looked like he would have squirmed if squirming was something he did. “Look, I- I know we’ve just met and I don’t want to rush you, but I like you. Very much. I hope I wasn’t shooting myself in the foot by bringing that up.”

“You’re talking to the man who told you about his father being a cheater before the first date,” Alec said. “If anyone puts their foot in their mouth when we talk, it’s me.”

The left side of Magnus’s mouth quirked up, but that half a smile wasn’t enough for Alec.

“Listen, umm, the- the only reason I said we should play that game the other way around was that then you’d lose and pay on the third date.” Alec looked deep into Magnus’s eyes, willing him to get it. “I told my sister about you before you even called me. That’s how I see this.”

The sparkles in Magnus’s eye could have been tears that were held back, but Alec hoped they weren’t. He knew he wasn’t the most experienced dater, but even he had yet to make his date cry and he really didn’t want to start.

Magnus reached up to lay his free hand against the side of Alec’s face, and Alec leaned into it. Somehow, the gesture felt more intimate than sex, as if Magnus was holding the whole of Alec in the palm of his hand. Alec wanted to close his eyes and just live in this moment forever.

“If you don’t want me to kiss you, you should really take a step back.”

Alec opened his eyes wide, met Magnus’s gaze and took a very short, slow, purposeful step towards Magnus.

\---

For the next few days, Alec walked with a spring on his step that had absolutely nothing to do with his superpowers. He felt like a teenager with how attached he was to his phone, constantly messaging Magnus and cursing their busy schedules that didn’t allow for a second date right after the first one.

The world, however, stopped for no one, not even for a smitten superhero.

Alec found that out the hard way two evenings after his date with Magnus, when his plans of strolling about his place, maybe reading a book or trying to fix that one cabinet door that was always creaky (while keeping up a steady stream of messages between him and Magnus, who was stuck at work and had many a thing to say about it), were interrupted by a frantic text from Izzy, only a very abbreviated address and a few words.

That was how Alec found himself in his Shadowhunter costume carrying people down from a burning skyscraper without having even time to let Magnus know he’d be too busy to answer for a while. He hadn’t even had the chance to read Magnus’s last message. Hopefully Magnus wouldn’t hold it against him, or become bored waiting for an answer and conclude Alec wasn’t worth it.

Mercifully, Alec didn’t have much chance to dwell on that. The fire was in the lower floors, leaving plenty of real estate above it. Thank god it was an office building, or something like that – definitely not residential. There weren’t that many people inside at this time of the night, but there was still a lot of ground to cover. In addition to the people at the windows, fearing for their lives, some people might even be inside, maybe even unaware of the fire. The fire brigade could do nothing for any of them; their focus was on fighting the actual fire. It fell to Alec and Izzy to bring people down as quickly as possible just in case the firefighters wouldn’t be successful.

Alec left a petrified old lady down at the ground and got up again, aiming for another window. He was already on the window ledge when he realised he knew the face raising fearful eyes up from the flames licking the building to Alec.

“Your movement’s very interesting,” Magnus said. “Scientifically speaking.”

If it weren’t for the shaky tone, Magnus might have seemed as he usually was. Now he sounded more like he was grasping at straws to avoid confronting the fact that without a superhero, he would have most likely died in a fire.

“So I’ve been told,” Alec said, and despite the situation, couldn’t help the smile. “Although you’re by far the most handsome person to ever tell me that. Nice to meet you again.”

Magnus blinked, and when he spoke, it was far too fast to be anything but word vomit by someone who still thought they might be dying any second now.

“That’s very kind of you, and I’m really flattered, but I’m kind of seeing someone right now and he’s so very charmingly loyal about everything and has really firm opinions on cheating and I don’t quite know yet where we stand on anything and we’ve just been on one date but I know I really like him and I don’t want to do anything to mess it up so would you quit that, please.”

Alec stared at him for a few seconds, processing Magnus’s words. The first thing that his mind managed to grasp was that Magnus was still unsure about where he stood with Alec, and that was something Alec could remedy.

He slid off the Shadowhunter mask, looking straight into Magnus’s confused, terrified eyes. “You could never do anything to mess us up, Magnus. Trust me.”

Then he slid the mask back on, took a secure hold on Magnus, and jumped. Once safely on the street, he quickly checked that Magnus was okay, and left up again.

When Alec got down with the last person from the building, a quick sweep verified what he’d already known. Magnus had disappeared. He’d been physically unharmed, so it couldn’t be to a hospital.

That wasn’t much to console himself with, but Alec clung to it anyway.

He left before the police could get a hold of him.

After a superhero escapade like that, Alec usually went to Izzy’s place to check she was okay and to let her patch up any bruises and whatnot that he’d received. This time, though, he’d seen Izzy leave just moments before him obviously in one piece. His concern for her could rest for a small detour.

Alec’s phone lay exactly where he’d left it, on his coffee table. There were three messages from Magnus.

_7.31pm  
The fire alarm went off. I’m on the 17 th floor so I really hope it’s a drill._

_7.39pm  
You didn’t answer that so I assume there was something else that you had to do. The fire alarm, it’s not a drill._

_8.47pm  
Could you please come meet me at my place?_

There was an address, and Alec was already on the way there before he even managed to spare a second for thinking what Magnus would want to say to him once he got there. He shot Izzy a message telling her he was okay and asking about her. She messaged him back right as he was getting into the lift of Magnus’s building to say she was fine. Alec could only assume that she’d grill him later about what would be so important as to get his mind off from fussing over her.

As he knocked on Magnus’s door, Alec did his best to brace for every possibility. Magnus could be justifiably mad that Alec had concealed his alter ego. He could also be so shaken by the potential near-death experience that he’d yell at Alec just because emotions ran high after a thing like that. He could also be totally freaked out by the fact that Alec had superpowers and might never want to see Alec again.

Magnus opened the door, resplendent in a silk nightgown half covering stylish loungewear, and as soon as he realised it was Alec, flung himself at Alec to engulf him in the tightest hug Alec had ever been party to.

It was a reflex to answer the hug. Alec buried his head in the crook of Magnus’s neck that still smelled a little like burning building despite the fact that Magnus had obviously taken a shower and held on tight.

He didn’t know how long they stood like that in Magnus’s doorway, but the ding of the elevator finally startled them for long enough to close the door after themselves. Alec felt clumsy inside Magnus’s flat, uncertain what his reception would be now that they’d probably have to talk and yet sure this was where he was supposed to be.

“So,” Magnus said in a voice too light to be real. He was within an arm’s reach of Alec, but Alec wasn’t sure if he was allowed to breach that gap. “We meet again, Shadowhunter. It’s not a long-lost family name, is it?”

“Press invention.” Alec shifted his weight from one foot to another. “It has a nice ring to it, but they always forget to mention Izzy’s there, too.”

A muscle in Magnus’s face shifted. He’d probably bit the inside of his lip. “You saved my cat, too, I hope. I’d hate to have flirted with your sister before properly meeting her. It would not be a great first impression, I fear.”

“That was me.” He’d never been much for deception with the people he cared for. “I’d noticed you, at the café. Meeting you like that helped me pluck up the courage to come talk to you there.”

Magnus glanced down, but that wasn’t enough to mask how soft and vulnerable he suddenly looked. “I’d noticed you, too. Never found the right moment to approach, but I was very happy that you took initiative.”

He’d taken a tiny step towards Alec, and Alec mirrored that. He longed to move his hand just a few inches and touch Magnus, but even more than that he wished Magnus would touch him.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “I mean, the fire. You had to be trapped up there quite a while.”

“I’m fine.” Magnus flashed him a smile too shallow to be reassuring. “I blocked my door and stayed close to the window, inhaled no smoke at all.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Alec willed Magnus to meet his eye.

“Not my first brush with death, unfortunately,” Magnus said brittly. “Although your hug did wonders for my constitution.”

“May I give you another one?”

Magnus’s eyes finally met his and he gave a very tiny nod, one Alec probably wouldn’t have even noticed if he hadn’t been hoping for it so keenly. He ran his hand up and down Magnus’s back and let Magnus rest his face against Alec’s shoulder. Magnus’s ear was right by his cheek, too close to ignore. Especially when Alec had so much to say.

“I really like you, too. Truth be told, I was thinking way past a third date. And you have nothing to fear, I- I’ve seen you with the baristas, I know you flirt. That’s not- It’s nothing like what my dad did. He broke promises and didn’t care if he hurt mum, as long as he got out unscathed. I don’t think you could do that if you tried. And I would never do that to you, ever. That’s where we stand.”

He could feel tension slip from Magnus’s frame and savoured that as long as the hug lasted. When Magnus finally pulled away, the smile he gave Alec was the first one that evening that felt wholly genuine.

“Thank you, Alexander. You’re an amazing man.” He glanced down Alec’s body, but it wasn’t so much appreciative than doctor-like. It reminded Alec of Izzy. “You didn’t get hurt tonight, did you?”

“No.” Alec took Magnus’s hand. “Just a bit tired. Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”

“Stay here?” Magnus seemed surprised by his own suggestion, or maybe just the fact that he’d said it out loud. “I... I’d rather not be alone tonight. And I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather ask to stay.”

Alec smiled and leaned forwards for a short, sweet kiss Magnus happily granted him. “Neither can I.”

“I should warn you,” Magnus said, “once I get over the shock, I’m going to torment you with my scientific curiosity about your abilities.”

Alec would have loved to pretend to be disgruntled, but he was smiling too widely for that. “You and Izzy will get along so well.”

They would. Maybe Alec wouldn’t say it yet, but he knew Magnus would fit into his life perfectly, and he had a feeling he’d fit into Magnus’s just as well.

A life as a superhero was not always glamorous, but right then, it certainly was wonderful.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm also on [Twitter](https://www.twitter.com/forgetmequite)!


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